Concern
by Starfire201
Summary: Starscream and his Trine are sent on a mission to find resources in Greenland. When his wingmates disappear during a sudden snowstorm, Starscream must deal with some unpleasant memories. G1
1. The Snowstorm

For the first time this year I am posting a new story here.

This story has a curious history. Shortly before I got a story challenge, DemonSurfer posted several plot ideas up on her profile that she was putting out for adoption along with the outlines for what she had in mind. I took one with every intention of getting it done soon, namely within a few months. Long story as to what happened next, but to make it short, "soon" became well over two years due to a few things I did not foresee or consider.

I did break a little with the outline, such as POV at the start, plus I learned that there was some confusion regarding the Decepticon base name, but by and large, it is much the same idea of what she had. And with her permission, I have kept the original title she had for the story.

This is planned only as a two-shot. I'll get up the 2nd piece when I can. But given the track record for this story so far, I can make no further promises as to exactly when.

Further, I apologize if certain characters are a bit off in behavior. I am still not used to writing said characters, so please bear with me.

Without further ado, here is the first chapter of Concern.

* * *

><p><em>Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it.<em> - Michel de Montaigne

* * *

><p><span><em>Northern Greenland - January 1985<em>

More often than not, it could be said that Thundercracker didn't mind Skywarp's company.

"I'm just sayin' it don't make sense!"

Today, however, was the rare exception to the rule.

_"_Skywarp...," Thundercracker said wearily.

"I mean come on, why the _Pit_ would the squishies call this place _Green_land? Nothin' but fraggin' white all over the place! Why didn't they call it Whiteland instead?"

Thundercracker fought the urge to transform and smack his Trinemate. It had been like this ever since they reached this Primus-forsaken island. The mission had been simple enough: Determine if the location had energy sources for tapping, and if so, how viable. Plus, they were to make sure no humans were around that would cause the Autobots to step in and interfere.

Well, they'd found numerous resources fitting the parameters, all right. Unfortunately, while they fit the parameters, those resources also seemed to be unreachable, as the scans indicated they were buried under either layers of ice up to two miles deep or off the coastal shelf under the seawater. If those readings were correct, then the Decepticons might well end up wasting all their current resources before even _obtaining_ any fuel for energon conversion.

It was not a fun thought, and Thundercracker really didn't want to consider Megatron's reaction to his Trine's report.

As he pondered, a cold blast of wind came out of nowhere, almost knocking Thundercracker out of the sky,and causing both his wingmates to also suffer a momentary loss of equlibrium. _Now the weather is acting up. What else could go wrong?_

"And the weather is sooo fraggin' nice this time of year, too! Forget Whiteland, I got a better idea for a name for this place! They should call it Windland."

Well, _that _answered his question. Skywarp was bored now, and his favorite way of dealing with boredom was to come up with inane questions or statements regarding the situation and voicing them around the nearest mech present. Unfortunately, the target of Skywarp's boredom was both himself and Starscream this time, and while Thundercracker had learned to ignore him when he had to, Starscream wasn't as patient with Warp. His already thin temper was going to get thinner before much longer.

Not that it wasn't already near breaking point, the blue jet thought. If he'd been in his alt-mode, Thundercracker would have shaken his head at Skywarp's obliviousness. From the moment that Megatron had given them this mission, Starscream's temper had become very brittle, very quickly. Sure, he was always snappish, but something about this region was very obviously bothering him, and Skywarp's childish behavior wasn't helping him deal with it any better.

Something that was confirmed by his Trineleader's response a moment later.

_"_Skywarp," the Air Commander said in a syrupy sweet voice, "I seem to find myself in need of an..._assistant_...to help me with a project I'm working on. Basically concerning how effective a warp engine is when exposed to an extremely powerful magnetic field. Thank you very much for volunteering."

Thundercracker groaned inwardly as Skywarp let out an indignant squawk followed by a protest that he was in _no slagging way _in the _Pit _going to play the role of Igor to Starscream's mad scientist.

Not wanting to get drawn into the developing argument, he decided to check his scanners once more. Besides the wind picking up, the temperatures seemed to have plummeted several degrees over the last couple of cycles. While it was still tolerable enough for a Cybertronian, when combined with the wind, it might be best to see if there was anything they needed to worry about. They were at their most vulnerable when they were in the sky.

At first, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, just the barren white land they'd been passing over for some time, some dark rocky mounds, and any number of glaciers; the same landscape that they'd all been witnessing for the entirety of this mission. The sky above was gunmetal gray. Not too bad at first glance, but to make absolutely sure, Thundercracker increased the radius of his scans. This time, he picked up a large black mass of clouds just a few mechanomiles behind them. The clouds seemed to be roiling and Thundercracker thought he could detect large amounts of ice and snow coming from those clouds.

The winds would be no problem for them. They'd flown through a few storms on this planet with gusts every bit as powerful and were usually able to adapt fairly quickly. But snow and ice...That was a different matter. A quick check of the air patterns showed the clouds were moving right along their flight path and would be catching up to them sometime during the next Earth hour. The navy Seeker cursed softly, and checked both his and his trinemates' fuel levels. What he saw made him grimace inwardly. _Not good, not good at all._

A moment later, just as Starscream was informing Skywarp just what he would do to the black Seeker's limbs if he didn't shut the frag up _right this moment_ and swearing that by Unicron himself he _would _use the purple and black jet as his volunteer whether or not he liked it, Thundercracker broke in.

"While I hate to interrupt this..._enjoyable _conversation, we have a problem."

"And what would that be?" hissed back his Trineleader, none too happy about being interrupted.

"My scanners have picked up what seems to be a pretty big-aft storm heading in our direction, and our fuel levels are at fifty-two percent. It might be a good idea to cut our losses and head back to the _Victory_."

"Are you out of your processor, Thundercracker?!" Starscream screeched. "We are completing this mission. Megatron will have our afts if we don't give him a complete report on what we've found."

"And our afts are in trouble anyway if we _don't_ head back to base," Thundercracker snapped right back. "Run a scan yourself if you don't believe me."

A snarl came over the comm, then the tri-color jet went silent. A moment later, the blue jet thought he saw his wingleader shudder, drop a short distance, and then stabilize, after which the anger was replaced by a smidgen of concern. Unless you were named 'Megatron', little seemed to rattle the Air Commander like that. Then again, thought the navy Seeker, Starscream _had _been acting oddly this whole mission...

A low growl came over the comm., followed by a firm: "Change in plans. Thundercracker, Skywarp, we are returning to base. No arguments."

Skywarp muttered something Thundercracker couldn't quite catch, but was almost certain was aimed at Starscream. He groaned inwardly, knowing what the purple and black jet was likely to pull when they returned to base and would more than likely try to drag him into it. And then Starscream would have_ both _their afts.

He kept quiet, though, knowing there was nothing he could do about it right now, and moved to adjust his speed and direction. He would deal with Skywarp later. Right now, they just needed to get out of here.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, they hadn't been able to move fast enough. The storm was moving faster than Thundercracker had thought and ten Earth minutes later the wind gusts had picked up exponentially from where they'd been before. Five minutes more and the snow and ice were coming down in a fierce mixture, blowing this way and that as the winds seemingly changed direction. By this point, Thundercracker could only see the outlines of his wingmates alt-forms along with their colors through the blinding snow and ice.<p>

And ten minutes after that, he only a general sense of their outlines as conditions deteriorated even more. Ice by now had developed on all their wings, and the interference from the blasting winds and weather was forcing them lower by the minute. They'd all activated their internal heaters but they were doing very little to stop the spread of ice with how hard the winds and precipitation were coming down.

As a final insult, the weather was seriously affecting their long range communications, so they couldn't send any distress messages to base. Not that it would get them any assistance, when one thought of Megatron's opinions of requesting any type of help, Thundercracker thought grimly, as he tried to force himself to stay level. Not an easy task when the wind seemed to be coming from every direction.

His trinemates were also having some serious difficulties, a small part of him that was trying to ignore the storm noticed. Starscream had had the worst reaction when the storm had hit, dropping about a half-mile when the first gusts hit, and it had taken at least three of this planet's minutes to regain the altitude he'd had prior. An altitude he was struggling to hold onto.

Skywarp wasn't doing much better than he or Starscream. And he had finally decided to let both his Trinemates know it.

"Oh, yeah, great idea, TC! 'Let's cut our losses and head back to the _Victory_," he says. "'Our afts will be in trouble if we don't head back', he says. Sure, let's try and beat the fragging big aft storm that is moving pretty slagging fast along our trail! It'll be fun! Yeah, this really is fun, TC! Why the Pit didn't you give us the warning sooner?!" the purple and black jet raged, as another gust of wind threatened to pull him from the sky.

"Not..the..._time_, Warp," the navy jet forced out tensely as he tried to focus on what visibility he had.

Before the other jet could retort, Starscream cut in.

"Enough with the fragging complaining! Skywarp, if you want to get out of this so badly, then for Primus' sake, then teleport to the fragging landing coordinates where we agreed to meet with the retrieval team when we'd finished and stay there until Thundercracker and I arrive! I've had enough of your glitching!"

There was a moment of silence as the three jets fought through another barrage of wind and snow. Then, before Thundercracker realized what was happening, he heard the sound of a transformation, then a black and purple hand grabbed his wing. The next thing he heard was: "Sure thing, Screamer. See ya later."

Then with a popping sound and a flash of purple, Thundercracker and Skywarp left their wingleader behind in the storm.

* * *

><p>Starscream snarled. <em>Those fraggers. When I see them at the rendezvous point, I am going to feed their wings to them! <em>he thought viciously. And he would take great pleasure in doing that to Skywarp in particular. Not to mention that experiment he thought of earlier now seemed like a very good idea indeed.

But that could wait for later. Right now, he had to get himself out of this situation. The storm had been raging for twenty-five of this mudball's minutes, and from what he could tell from the scanners, he wasn't too far from the edge if he banked to his left, all things considered. He wasn't going to let the storm beat him down, traitorous glitches of wingmates or no.

He hadn't let a fragging blizzard bring him down the last time he was on this slagging planet, and by Primus, he wouldn't now!

Starscream forced all the power he had to his thrusters and banked to the left, finding the air current and moving with it as carefully as he could with the snow and ice that were trying to weigh him down. A few minutes later, he'd reached the edge, and began the slow journey of gliding along the edge of the storm to the meeting place.

_Just wait until I get my hands on them_, he thought coldly as he worked his way around the edge of the storm.

They were going to pay severely for abandoning him to the storm's mercies when he saw them again.

* * *

><p>An hour later, a cold and still furious Starscream had left the storm about twenty miles behind and reached the landing coordinates, only to find no traces of his wingmates anywhere. He snarled and transformed, landing at the site in alt-mode.<p>

_I will_ kill _them_...he thought, his optics narrowed into bright red glowing slits.

He should have expected this. It would be just like Skywarp to flout his orders and take off on his own, not to mention dragging Thundercracker off with him. Starscream's hands clenched into fists as he thought of the beating he would administer to his subordinate when he got hold of him again. It was bad enough this mission was a failure without Skywarp making him look like a fool. Not to mention what Megatron would do to him when he learned of it.

Well, the slagger wasn't going to get away with it. If he had to suffer, then Skywarp would, too.

With that in mind, Starscream lifted his hand to the side of his head and activated his internal comm.

_::Starscream to _Victory_!::_

* * *

><p><em><span>Decepticon base<span> _

"Have they reported in yet, Soundwave?"

"Negative, Lord Megatron."

"Very well, notify me when they do. We need resources that those meddling Autobots won't be able to interfere with. When you hear from them, inform them I would like their reports immediately. Also, do remind Skywarp what punishment he will receive if I receive another prank report from him and make clear that Starscream's punishment for him will be the least of his worries."

"Affirmative, Lord Megatron."

Without another word, Megatron turned and started to walk out of the Command Center, only to be stopped by the sound of static coming from the Communications console followed by a familiar raspy voice calling: "Starscream to Victory!"

Soundwave looked at Megatron, who nodded in confirmation.

"Victory here. Mission: Completed?"

A snarl came over the comm. system followed by, "As far as Skywarp and Thundercracker are concerned it is! I require their coordinates so that I can catch up to them and have a few words with those slag for brains wingmates of mine!"

Megatron glanced at Soundwave, who shook his head, and then responded, "Negative. Thundercracker and Skywarp: have not reported in."

There was a long pause on the other end of the comm., then: "Are you sure?" The anger was strangely absent, not to mention there seemed to be a very odd tone to the Air Commander's voice as he spoke those few words, one that neither the two mechs listening could ever recall hearing from the Air Commander.

Ignoring it for the moment, the Decepticon TIC replied, "Affirmative."

There was another, longer, pause this time.

After about a breem of silence, Megatron finally signalled to Soundwave to stand aside as he approached the console. Soundwave rose and moved away just slightly as his leader approached.

"Starscream! What is going on?!" the gray gunformer demanded.

For a moment, there was no answer, then Starscream replied, but again, it was a strange tone. This time, a half-whisper, half-whimper: "No. Not again."

"Starscream...," Megatron began, only to receive static in reply.

"Starscream: Has cut link."

"I can see that, Soundwave," the Slagmaker replied coolly. He crossed his arms and lifted one hand to his chin, rubbing it as if in thought.

After a moment, he turned to his Communications Officer. "Were you able to trace that signal?"

"Affirmative."

The Decepticon leader nodded. "Good. Come, Soundwave. We have a fool to retrieve."

* * *

><p>Starscream just stood there for a few kliks after breaking off the comm. call, staring into the distance where roiling clouds could still be seen, all traces of his previous anger gone. His face was blank. His optics, however, were a different story.<p>

_This...can't be happening...Not again._..Ancient memories that Starscream had been fighting to suppress this whole mission rose sharply to the surface: _Fierce cutting winds...dark black clouds roiling in the suddenly unfriendly sky...hail and snow being blown this way and that...visibility down to near zero..._

A large, familiar white shape disappearing from view...

Static his only reply over the comm. line when he tried to call for that familiar figure...

_No!_

This couldn't be happening. Not again.

And yet...It had.

Starscream shook his head numbly.

If he was honest, he'd admit he'd never cared for his wingmates one way or the other. He'd joined a Trine early in the war as it was a requirement for all Seekers who'd enlisted to do so. Skywarp had been a pain in his aft from orn one, and Thundercracker...Well, he'd never understood Thundercracker, he'd admit only to himself. At least the other Seeker knew when to leave him alone, unlike Skywarp.

But at least with them there, he hadn't been alone like he had for so long after Skyfire...Something the Decepticon Air Commander would never admit openly to anyone else. Not that anyone would believe him anyway.

Once more Starscream gazed into the roiling clouds in the distance, the shock in his optics turning into anger, and soon his gaze became a glare.

He wouldn't let this fragging thrice-cursed planet take another wingmate from him.

With one final thought, Starscream activated his thrusters, transformed and threw himself back into the storm.

_Never again._


	2. Storm's Aftermath: History Repeats?

**A/N: ** Here is chapter 2, and I am just glad it only took a few months and not another 2 years to complete. Hope it will meet your expectations.

To avoid confusion in the 2nd part of this story, here is the code for it:

Italics, :: = Comm. call  
>Italics, Bold = Starscream's memory<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Gamora: History repeating itself?<em>

_Warlock: History doesn't repeat itself, Gamora, but sometimes it rhymes." _  
>― Dan Abnett, <span><em>Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol. 1: Legacy<em>

* * *

><p><span><em>Somewhere on Dome Mountain, Watkins Range, East Greenland<em>

"O-okay! S-so maybe it wasn't a s-smart i-idea to t-teleport with an extra p-person!" Skywarp said, smiling a bit sheepishly as he shivered.

Not being in the mood to hear it, Thundercracker just gave Skywarp a baleful glare in reply. "S-shut. U-up. W-warp."

"H-hey! I said I'm sorry! How was I supposed to know my warp engine would malfunction? At least we found this little c-cave," he protested.

Thundercracker just ignored his trinemate, more than a little slagged off right now. _If I ever ask "what else could go wrong" again, Primus kill me dead. That is, if we survive this mishap._

After Skywarp had grabbed his wing and began the teleport, something had apparently caused his warp engine to short out (Thundercracker suspected the cold and extra strain of his presence) and eject them out somewhere deeper into the storm, in one of this island's mountain ranges. After flying half-blind for a few minutes, along with several failed teleporting attempts, they'd eventually found a cave.

Where they were now sitting, half-bent over and waiting out the storm, which was showing no signs of stopping.

All in all, Thundercracker thought, this was one mission he'd willingly never speak of again should they get out of this situation.

"I-i d-don't see w-why you won't just k-keep flying u-until w-we get out of the s-storm," Skywarp's grousing broke into his thoughts.

Thundercracker just_ looked _at Skywarp, then switched on his internal comm. _::Skywarp, tell me. What are your fuel levels right now?::_

Skywarp looked somewhat puzzled by how the other Seeker was talking to him, but he shrugged and checked. After a moment he finally replied, grudgingly, _::About seventeen percent.::_

Thundercracker nodded. _::You really think you'll be able to fly through the storm and make it back to base with those levels? And don't forget your warp gate isn't working right now. Best just to wait here until the storm passes or help comes.::_

The purple and black jet inwardly conceded the first two points, but couldn't help but grimace at the last few words. _::Ain't like it's going to matter. Megatron's got no idea what's happened to us and wouldn't send help if he _did _know. You know how he is about that. As for Starscream...He couldn't give two slags. We ain't going to get out of this one, TC.::_

Thundercracker frowned. The other jet had a point when it came to Megatron, but still... _::Don't talk like that, Warp. Maybe you're right about Megatron, but Starscream's our Trineleader, he won't just leave us behind.::_

Skywarp just snorted in disbelief and glared at his friend. _::What universe are you living in? You know Screamer only wants to be around us when we go into battle, TC. You name me one time since we've been Trine that he spends time with us outside of that. One time he's talked with or shared anything with us. One time he's flown with us when we _aren't_ called out.::_

The other Seeker didn't answer and looked away. Skywarp just snorted again, and said, _::Yeah, I knew you couldn't do that. 'Cause there isn't one. He hates our fraggin' guts, TC. He made it clear from the moment he Trined with us he was doing it 'cause he had to, and not because he really wanted to. He'll probably celebrate our deaths.:: _He shook his head. _::Face it, 'Cracker. We're going to die out here and he won't care.:: _With that, Skywarp cut the comm.

The navy Seeker looked down into his lap as he thought over what his friend just said. Deep down, he knew he couldn't refute Skywarp's words. As good a Commander as he was, Starscream had a well-deserved reputation in the Decepticons for being a loner. Plus, Thundercracker couldn't really think of one time since they'd joined the Decepticons that the tri-color jet _had_ seemed to care about anything or anyone but himself and his own ambition. He'd always brushed them off, made snide or condescending comments regarding them and ignored them whenever he could get away with it. Not to mention the way he'd turned on everyone else who gave him a hand in rising through the ranks. The orn he'd become Air Commander and then some time later, Second-in-Command, they'd heard about both promotions over base-wide announcements. Starscream seemingly couldn't be bothered to inform he or Skywarp privately beforehand.

Now that he thought about it, it was around the time of their Trineleader's promotion to SIC that Skywarp had begun making Starscream a favorite target of his pranks as well as referring to him by the nickname "Screamer". Likely that had been the orn Warp finally decided it wasn't just worth trying anymore.

Thundercracker wasn't sure he blamed him, either. And he couldn't deny there was a part of him that was doubting if Starscream would come for them, that said he would in in fact leave them behind, just like Warp thought.

But just once...

Just once he wanted to be wrong.

* * *

><p><em>Slag it all to Pit. Where are those two? <em>Starscream thought worriedly. Twenty minutes ago, he'd hit the edge of the storm and had almost immediately been hit with a blinding blast of snow. The winds, too, seemed to have worsened in the hour since he'd been outside the leading edge of it, now registering at over eighty miles and hour and the temperature had plummeted to somewhere below zero. Starscream was unaware of just how far it had fallen, didn't even really feel the cold, being far too focused on his search to really pay attention.

_**Tempest-strength wind, blasting him this way and that...Sensors malfunctioning...**_

An alert sounded on his HUD, warning him that his heating elements had finally burned out. He ignored it, and kept his sensors tuned to the mounds of rock and snow, hoping to pick something, anything, up. Meanwhile the wind was pushing him back towards the edge of the storm...

_**Torrential snow pouring down, blinding him...**_

The warning alert was followed by another, this one signalling that his fuel levels were now at twenty-nine percent and falling, followed by a ping on his comm. line from Soundwave, the third so far since he'd headed back in, requesting his status.

Again, he ignored the warning and the ping. He was _not_ going to let himself be distracted from this.

_**Balls of ice mixing in with the snow, flashes of lightning cutting through the black clouds...**_

A third warning alert came in, this one stating that ice was now beginning to form on his wings. This time he turned off the HUD and pushed more power behind his thrusters as he tried to force his alt-mode further into the blizzard. He wasn't going to let this planet win. Not again.

_**Wind temperature feeling like blades of ice, slicing right through with the ease of a vibroblade...**_

Starscream opened the rarely used Trine comm. line.

_::Starscream to Thundercracker!:: _

Silence.

_::I repeat, Starscream to Thundercracker!::_ In spite of himself, Starscream couldn't keep a note of desperation from creeping into his voice.

Again, no answer but the howling wind.

_**::Skyfire! Come in Skyfire!::**_

_**Nothing.**_

_**::SKYFIRE!::**_

_**Only static in reply to his frantic plea...**_

Starscream began to shake, trying to push away the memories which by this time seemed to feel almost too similar to what was happening at this present moment. "Stop, please stop," he whispered desperately, unsure if he was talking to the storm or flood of memories that were racing back, getting worse with every moment. Once more, oblivious to the danger he was putting himself in, the Decepticon SIC pushed more fuel to his thrusters, fighting against the powerful winds which kept trying to push him back, like they had before. He couldn't stop now, no matter how similar the memories were. It wasn't the same, it _wouldn't _be!

_Never again._

So focused was the tri-color jet on his single-minded search for his missing wingmates, he didn't notice how much ice was gathering on his wings. And with his HUD off, he was also unaware that his fuel levels were nearly at zero.

Unaware, that is, until his thrusters stalled out...and his wings began to suddenly feel a bit heavier...

_No!_ was Starscream's last thought as he began falling towards the ground...

Then he was no longer aware of anything at all.

* * *

><p>Two mechs walked through the snowy landscape. They had arrived at the coordinates last recorded just a few short minutes before, in time to have witnessed the storm moving off to the northeast and out towards sea.<p>

The shorter of the two, a blocky blue mech began a scan of the nearby area. A few moments later, he began moving towards one particular mound of snow that had been created by the storm, one which appeared more angular than those surrounding it. He looked at the taller, silver mech and pointed towards it silently.

After doing his own quick scan of the mound, the taller of the two figures turned towards the other and gave a stern nod. The other simply crouched down and begain to brush away at the mound. Before long, a dark gray head appeared, followed by a white and red wing. Once the snow had been cleared away enough to reveal the still form of another mech, the second mech silently looked up at his companion.

The larger of the two shook his head as he gazed at the still figure, now in root-mode. "Fool," was all he said, his tone and face unreadable. After a moment, he looked at the mech next to him. "There was an ice cave a few miles from here that our scanners picked up on the way in. Take him there, Soundwave. I will be having a word with him about this...behavior."

The Decepticon TIC nodded. "As you wish, Lord Megatron."

* * *

><p>It was the heat that woke him.<p>

Starscream came slowly online to feel something heavy and warm laying over his wings and most of his body. Not wanting to online his optics just yet, he did a check of his systems. His internal display showed his temperature, while not low enough to shut him down completely, was still far below the normal range for a Cybertronian. Further scans showed his fuel levels were just above empty, and his self-repair seemed to be working overtime. There seemed to be something solid beneath his back and legs, indicating he was laying on some kind of surface.

His pain sensors came online at that moment, explaining the reason for his active self-repair. His body ached all over. He hurt less than he did after one of Megatron's beatings, but he still felt like he'd taken a nose-dive into a cliff wall.

The sound of voices reached his audial receptors, indicating that those were now back online. However, the voices seemed muted somehow. And familiar, Starscream thought after a moment, though he was drawing a blank as to _why_ they seemed familiar.

Growing tired of not being able to figure this situation out, Starscream finally onlined his optics to find himself staring at a bluish-gray surface.

_Where the Pit am I? And what am I doing here? _the tri-color thought as he began moving his head and scanning around in an attempt to figure out where he was. Trying to access his memories was no help, as all that came up at the moment were fuzzy images, nothing really intelligible...

Judging from what he could see, the above surface seemed to be somewhat rounded out, with what appeared to be icicles pointing towards him. However the icicles had a blunted appearance, as though something had cut through them. A glance to the side showed the remains of the carved off pieces. Starscream turned his face back toward the ceiling-surface and sent out an echolocator ping. The bounced-back response indicated that it was a few feet tallerthan he. A second glance towards the opaque white-gray walls on each side indicated that his wings had perhaps a foot of room on either side. _A cave then, judging by the appearance..._He mused.

Starscream now lifted his head slowly, ignoring the aches in his neck and glanced in the direction he thought he heard the voices coming from. That section seemed to be brighter than the rest of the cave.

Judging by the shape and contrast in light, Starscream thought it appeared to be an entrance of some kind. But the light seemed partially blocked by what seemed to be a pair of blocky figures. Figures that seemed strangely familiar, but Starscream still couldn't quite place them. One was blue and the other silver.

Starscream squinted his optics to get a better look at the figures. Then the silver figure turned and glanced in his direction. And finally Starscream's vision cleared just enough so the features of both became recognizable.

_Soundwave and Megatron? But what are they doing here?_

Starscream frowned and began doing a memory search, trying to figure out how he'd ended up on his back in a cave, being held down by...He looked down at his chest...Thermal blankets? For a few moments, all that he could come up with were more fuzzy images. His last clear memory was calling the_ Victory_ to find out where Thundercracker and Skywarp were so he could slag their afts..

As if in response to that thought, the images in his mind suddenly cleared...

_Comm. calls to his Trinemates, no response..._

_Cutting winds..._

_Bitter cold..._

_Silence..._

_NO!_

As the memories came rushing back, Starscream began to throw off the blankets holding him down. He couldn't stay here, he needed to get back out there, had to find them...

He wouldn't fail them like he'd failed Skyfire...

Just as he threw off the last blanket and began to push himself up, he was stopped by the pressure of a hand against his chest, pushing him back down.

"Enough." The voice was stern. Starscream darted his head towards the sound, only to see Megatron crouching over him, gazing at him coolly, his optics unreadable. A surge of anger rose up in Starscream. He needed to get out there and find his wingmates. Megatron had no fragging right to stop him! But before he could open his mouth to say just that, Megatron spoke once more. "Soundwave's scans have indicated your internal temperature and energy levels are too low to allow you to go out there again any time soon. However," he continued, "if you really wish to go out and get yourself killed, feel free to do so." The last words were tinged with sarcasm.

Starscream's optics narrowed. "How dare you?!" he hissed.

Megatron just shrugged. "Suit yourself," he replied calmly, removing his hand from Starscream's chest and straightening up. He stepped back so that he was standing just behind Starscream, and gestured casually towards the entrance of the cave. "Go ahead. If you can make it outside, I won't stop you from leaving."

With a sneer, Starscream pulled himself to his feet and began to step away...

Only to pitch forward as his legs gave out under him.

Just before he hit the ground, Starscream felt himself being grabbed and shoved against the wall.

"Now that my point has been proven," the Decepticon leader began (and oh, how Starscream wanted to punch the fragger's smug face...), "are you willing to listen to me? Or are you going to continue being stupid?"

That was it.

"You talk to me about being stupid?!" the Decepticon SIC screeched. "Who was the idiot who sent us out to a barren wasteland to look for energy sources in the first place?!"

Megatron's optics narrowed now, and his expression became cold. "I seem to recall you had no issues with the mission before that storm hit," the silver mech said coolly.

Starscream ignored him, too intent on venting his rage. "And of _course_ it doesn't occur to you to check the weather conditions before sending us out there! Now, thanks to your idiotic idea, my wingmates are missing and could be dead. But no, you wouldn't care about that would you?" he growled.

Megatron did not reply, something which only made Starscream angrier. He began laying into Megatron again, not even thinking about the possibility that he could get beaten or worse for his words. For the next few minutes, he vented out all the frustration he felt over the mixed results of the mission, Skywarp's antics, the storm, and his wingmates' disappearance, along with a few choice opinions regarding his _leader's_ intelligence levels.

Megatron only listened impassively, not giving any external indication that Starscream's words were having an effect. Eventually, though, the Decepticon leader had heard enough. Unnoticed by a still ranting Starscream, he lifted his free arm and quite calmly slapped the Seeker's face.

It wasn't a hard slap, but it was certainly enough to both startle and silence the enraged mech. As Starscream stared in shock at his leader, Megatron spoke again.

"I know very well why you're doing this, as does Soundwave. But there is one detail you seem to have forgotten, Starscream," the Tyrant said calmly.

"And that is?" snarled Starscream, regaining a little of his bravado.

Megatron smirked. "You are not alone this time," was his reply.

Starscream's optics widened, a startled look appearing in them.

Either not seeing, or perhaps ignoring the other's expression, Megatron continued. "I have sent word to other Decepticons, and they will be here shortly to assist you in locating your Trinemates. In the meantime," he turned his head and gave a short, sharp nod to Soundwave, who now approached the two mechs, "rest and refuel. You will need it for the search when the others arrive." With that, he released his Second, and walked towards the entranceway of the cave.

Starscream just stayed propped against the wall for a moment and stared after him, not quite believing what had just happened.

As if to reinforce the strangeness of the situation, Soundwave suddenly appeared in front of the jet, holding out a cube of energon. "Drink," was all he said.

Numbly, Starscream took the cube from him and slid down the wall into a seated position, barely noticing when Soundwave once more settled one of the thermal blankets over his legs. However, he did notice when he suddenly felt a pat on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Soundwave leaning over him, an odd glint in his visor. Again, he said, "Drink." (And Starscream _had_ to have been imagining that concerned tone in the TIC's voice, there was _no way_ the other mech gave a slag about him...)

But Soundwave said no more, just turned around and followed his leader out of the cave without waiting to see if Starscream actually did as he requested.

Starscream just stared blankly after the other mech for a few moments before shaking his head and starting to drink the energon he'd been given.

After he'd finished drinking and dismissed the container, he just leaned his head back against the wall and offlined his optics, setting a timer to alert him when three Earth hours had passed.

As he cycled himself down into recharge, one final thought went through his mind.

_Could this day get any more bizarre?_

* * *

><p>When Starscream woke again a few hours later, it was to discover that the thermal blankets had been removed. He sneered. <em>Oh, of <em>course _that show of kindness was just one of that slagger's games. When I get back to the _Victory_..._

Standing in a group were several Decepticons. The Coneheads, Astrotrain, Blitzwing, Octane were all standing just a few feet outside the cave, talking to Soundwave, Megatron simply observing. Starscream just watched a moment in disbelief. _Then again..._

Just then, Megatron looked up and saw Starscream.

"How good of you to grace us with your presence," he began coldly, his words causing the others to turn around. "I've partnered you with Thrust. Now get in the air! You're wasting everyone's time!"

Starscream just blinked and walked over to join the burgundy and gray jet, who simply nodded. A moment later both were transformed and in the air.

As they took flight, Thrust filled Starscream in regarding their orders. Soundwave had set up a grid pattern for the seven of them to follow and the group of them had been taking turns. The first hour had been Octane and Blitzwing, the second had been Blast Off and Astrotrain, and the third hour had been Thrust and his own team. They had been ordered to set their scanners for Cybertronium signatures. So far, the scans had turned up nothing, and they were beginning to widen their search. Starscream asked if there'd been any interference from the Autobots. Thrust replied in the negative. Soundwave had ordered his cassettes to scramble any satellite images or comm. calls, he stated. Thrust then concluded by saying that Soundwave had also made adjustments for Starscream's involvement in the search, that they would be returning to the cave to refuel and allow Thrust to trade with another of his wingmates in about two Earth hours.

Starscream acknowledged Thrust's comments with a quiet "Thank you", something that seemed to startle the usually loud-mouthed jet into silence. He said no more for the remainder of their search.

* * *

><p><em>::We should probably stop, Commander::, <em>comm.'ed Dirge a little over four hours later as they flew over a mountain range, a somewhat concerned tone in his voice. He'd been scheduled to trade with Ramjet about twenty minutes before, but Starscream had been adamant in continuing the search, in spite of orders.

In truth, the blue and black jet was beginning to think they wouldn't find Thundercracker and Skywarp. At least not today, and perhaps not even alive. While the weather conditions still showed no further storms on approach, it was now a couple hours past nightfall, and the temperatures had dropped sharply. By this point, his wingmates had taken shelter aboard Astrotrain, as had Soundwave and Megatron. In the pitch black, even with their scanners on full, it would be near impossible to see where the two had ended up landing (or crashing, the more morbid part of his mind thought).

Although by this time, Dirge couldn't help but think that given the conditions the two had disappeared in, it was most likely the two had indeed crashed and frozen, and they might well be wasting their time.

But it seemed the Air Commander had other ideas...

"You want to stop, then go ahead!" the other snapped. "I'm not ready to quit just yet!"

Dirge gave an inward groan, not really looking forward to explaining this one to Megatron, but before he could even try to put together an argument that he hoped would convince Starscream that it would be a good idea to just stop for the night, a ping popped up on his scanners. Startled, he did a quick check.

_::Sir, I've picked up a large amount of Cybertronium coming from that peak just off to our left::_, he sent over comm.s a moment later.

Not even taking a moment to reply, Starscream banked sharply to the left, Dirge close behind. As they reached the ledge right before a snow-covered entrance, Starscream transformed and ordered Dirge to stay close. The other jet acknowledged, and began to circle the peak as Starscream lifted his arms and activated his null rays, blasting through the snow and ice that were in his way.

* * *

><p>Starscream stepped slowly inside the cave, nearly banging his head against the ceiling as he did so. Bending down just slightly, he focused his attention into looking around the cave.<p>

At first, he couldn't make out anything, the cave was almost completely pitch black, the only light present being the Seeker's own optics.

Refusing to quit, Starscream took a few more careful steps in and focused more of his energy to his optics. Still, he was unable to make anything out.

_Frag it all, Dirge, I'm going to kill you for this_, Starscream thought, furious at the waste of time, and began to turn around...

Only to have his optic light reflect off a metallic surface just off to his left.

Startled, Starscream shifted his gaze over to see a figure huddled against the wall, optics unlit. A very familiar navy blue figure. Starscream darted his optics over to the right to see the other huddled form.

As soon as he'd registered exactly what it was he was seeing, Starscream turned as fast as he could manage and headed out of the cave, just in time to see Dirge starting yet another circuit of the peak. "Dirge, send for Astrotrain!" he shrieked, then turned and headed right back in without even hearing Dirge's acknowledgement.

Starscream went first to Thundercracker and did a quick scan. The results that came back were grim. The blue jet's energy levels were just above ten percent by now, and his temperatures were far too low for one of their race. He turned to Skywarp and did a similar scan. The results came back with a five percent energy level, and his temperature reading matched Thundercracker's.

For a moment, Starscream felt fear lance his Spark. No, he couldn't have gone through all this just to fail now! This world_ couldn't_ have beaten him again! He began to shake Thundercracker, calling the other jet's name.

A minute, then two passed. Just as Starscream was about to begin to shake harder, the other's optics came on, dimly, and he raised his head weakly. When he finally registered exactly who was in front of him, his optics widened.

"Starscream?" the blue jet croaked out.

* * *

><p>Starscream ceased shaking the jet at the sound of his name and just stared at the other Seeker a moment. Then, before Thundercracker could fully register what was going on, he found himself being dragged into a hug, with Starscream saying something about "don't you ever pull a stunt like that again you fragger, or I'll kill you myself", then turning his attention to Skywarp, who seemed to have been slightly roused by their Trineleader's voice.<p>

But he certainly woke up in a hurry when he realized who was hanging around his neck. The black and purple jet just glanced at Thundercracker with wide optics. _::TC, what the_ Pit _is going on?::_ he comm'd over to his wingmate. Thundercracker just shook his head bemusedly. _::I don't know, Warp::_, he replied as Starscream hugged him again.

"Fraggers had me worried," the tri-color jet was saying now. "Don't ever scare me like that again. I've spent too long training you to lose you both to a third-rate organic planet."

Thundercracker and Skywarp just stared. But before either of them could say anything in reply, Starscream had draped an arm around each of their necks and had dragged them both up next to him.

A few minutes later, the sound of heavy engines broke the silence.

Astrotrain had finally arrived.

* * *

><p>Starscream watched quietly as Skywarp (once more unconscious) and Thundercracker were carried into Astrotrain's cargo hold by the other triple-changers, Thrust and Blast Off, and wrapped in thermal blankets by Soundwave, Dirge and Ramjet. Nodding at the Communications Officer, he walked over to the far side of the hold where Megatron was standing, watching the scene impassively.<p>

The Decepticon SIC just stared at Megatron for a moment. Then, to the surprise of everyone watching, the normally treacherous Seeker saluted their Lord.

"Sir...Thank you," Starscream said quietly.

For a moment, the Warlord said nothing, then a sneer crossed his face.

"Of course you'd think this was all for you. You truly are self-centered, Starscream. I only allowed you to look for them because I have need of their abilities. Nothing else," the Decepticon leader stated coldly.

Starscream's optics widened in shock at the rebuke, then narrowed. A moment later, a smirk appeared on his face, replacing the respectful one he'd worn just a moment before. "Of course, how _foolish_ of me to thing my _leader_ actually cared. You do only seem to expend resources when you have something to gain from it."

Megatron's optics narrowed now, and he growled. Then he said that at least he knew that those two were loyal, unlike a certain SIC he could name, which Starscream replied by snorting at him and saying that at least he wouldn't have nearly lost said "loyal" mechs if he hadn't sent them out for the mission in the _first_ place...

As he watched his world regain some semblance of normality, Thundercracker just shook his head, still unable to believe what had happened. In spite of what he'd said to Skywarp, he'd let the small part of him that doubted rescue would come take over, had started to believe that his wingmate was right about Starscream abandoning them to their fate. By the time he'd fallen unconscious, he had come to believe it completely. But Starscream had proven Warp wrong, and Thundercracker wasn't even sure why. Certainly he'd hoped he was wrong for once about Starscream not caring, but to have it proven to him like that...It didn't make sense. What had made their wingleader come looking for them now, when he never would have before?

"Starscream: desperate to find you and Skywarp. Remembered: past experience with shuttle Skyfire in storm. Did not: desire to repeat experience."

Thundercracker glanced to his left, startled, to see Soundwave kneeling right next to him, and cursed himself briefly for forgetting about the other's telepathy. Then what the Cassette player said sank in, and Thundercracker's jaw dropped.

Soundwave chuckled at the look on the Seeker's face, then turned back to witness the bantering up front.

After a moment, he turned his visor back to look at the Seeker.

"Thundercracker: rest. Back at base: soon."

Thundercracker nodded, then turned his gaze back to the ceiling, ignoring when the other mech got up and walked to where the other two officers were arguing.

After a few moments, the blue jet gave a rueful smile. It seemed he owed a lot to a certain traitorous shuttle, not that Starscream would ever admit that. And Thundercracker wasn't even certain that things _could_ change completely, after the three of them had been at odds for so long. But maybe, just maybe they could work something out.

It was worth a shot.

Thundercracker settled his head back and began cycling down for recharge, one last thought flitting through his head just before it claimed him.

_We owe you one, Skyfire._

* * *

><p><strong>AN2: ** Sorry if the ending seems less than satisfactory, but the way the plot idea ended, I had to improvise a little. It ended with Soundwave making a comment concerning Starscream having the 3 emotions of concern, fear and arrogance, and I felt it seemed a bit awkward to just end it that way. So I tried to come up with an ending that seemed to wrap things up a little better. While I'm not sure I accomplished that well, it was the best of the endings that I could come up with.

And whether or not they did pay Skyfire back, I'll leave that to the imagination. :-) After over two years, I think this is a project best left where it is. :-)


End file.
